New outlook app keeps opening up in the online web version

We're having a similar issue. So far 2 users use Outlook (classic) but Outlook New is installed on the device + possibility to check 'use new outlook'. If swapping between the personal inbox and a shared mailbox the browser opens a login screen for Outlook OWA. After removing the Olk folder the problem is gone for a couple of hours before seemingly returning.

Edit: I went further and uninstalled the outlook (new) but to no avail. The problem keeps returning.

Hi Todd Sheffield,

Thank you for posting in Microsoft Community.

I see you've already put in some effort to troubleshoot this issue, and I really appreciate that.

It seems like the New Outlook app isn't launching the way it should. Sometimes those shortcuts get a bit messed up, or there's some cached data that causes Outlook to pop up in your browser instead of the desktop app. Even if you clear local folders, some users still run into this because of things like corrupted shortcuts, browser settings that default to the web version, or device policies that override local behavior.

I’d recommend checking the shortcut properties to see if it’s linked to the desktop app. Trying to open New Outlook from the Start Menu instead of a pinned shortcut might also help. If the user accepted a prompt in the browser before, resetting the browser could help fix that. And if this device is managed by an organization, it might be worth having a chat with IT to figure out if any policies are causing issues.

did the user just install any updates or log into multiple Microsoft accounts recently?

Let me know how it goes. If this helped, feel free to mark it as helpful it might make it easier for others to find the solution too. Let me know if you need anything else! I’m here to help!

Regards, Carlo

Edit - Other post indicate that this is only a temporarily fix. So I'm not sure of it's value.

From a Reddit thread on this issue
https://www.reddit.com/r/Office365/comments/14570xg/outlook_suddenly_only_opening_in_browser/

It seems that for some people clearing the New Outlook for Windows local data files is a fix. (Note - This will completely reset your New Outlook for Windows profile. You will have to add back all of your accounts and redo all your settings).

Exit the New Outlook for Windows App. (Make sure it's not hiding in your Taskbar)

Open a Windows Explorer to %LocalAppData%\Microsoft
Find and delete the "Olk" folder (or rename to "Olk_OLD").
Find and delete the "OneAuth" folder (or rename to "OneAuth_OLD")

I also have a client of ours that is spreading around different users on. Suddenly, starting this past Saturday the New Outlook app started opening in the default browser instead of the app container.

I tried all these steps, including deleting those folders someone posted above, which are still not working.

Absolutely, Aaron — here’s a consolidated, SYSTEM-safe remediation script and checklist to fix the issue where New Outlook opens in Edge instead of the desktop app, including the suspicious UseRWHlinkNavigation registry key.

🧰 Outlook Redirect Fix — Full Remediation Script & Checklist

🔹 1. Rebind Protocols to Desktop Outlook

$apps = @(
    @{ Protocol = "mailto"; ProgId = "Outlook.URL.mailto" },
    @{ Protocol = "outlook"; ProgId = "Outlook.Application" }
)

foreach ($app in $apps) {
    New-Item -Path "HKCU:\Software\Classes\$($app.Protocol)" -Force | Out-Null
    Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKCU:\Software\Classes\$($app.Protocol)" -Name "(Default)" -Value $app.ProgId
}

🔹 2. Reset Default App Bindings

Start-Process "ms-settings:defaultapps"

Manually set .eml, .msg, mailto: to Outlook (desktop). Remove Edge as default if present.

🔹 3. Fix UseOnlineContent Registry Key

Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Common\Internet" -Name "UseOnlineContent" -Value 0

🔹 4. Delete Suspicious UseRWHlinkNavigation Key

Remove-Item -Path "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Office\Outlook\Addins\UseRWHlinkNavigation" -Force

🔹 5. List All Outlook Add-ins

Get-ItemProperty -Path "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Office\Outlook\Addins\*" | Select-Object PSChildName

Review for any non-Microsoft or suspicious entries.

🔹 6. Inspect Startup and Run Keys

Get-ChildItem "$env:APPDATA\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup"
Get-ItemProperty "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run"

Look for any entries launching Outlook via a URL or browser.

🔹 7. Sweep Registry for Suspicious URLs

Get-ChildItem -Path HKCU:\ -Recurse |
  Where-Object { $_.GetValueNames() -contains "UseRWHlinkNavigation" } |
  ForEach-Object {
    $val = $_.GetValue("UseRWHlinkNavigation")
    if ($val -like "*vfsevisa.com*") {
      Write-Host "Suspicious key found at $($_.PSPath): $val"
    }
  }

🔹 8. Rebuild WebView2 Profile (Optional)

Remove-Item "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Microsoft\EdgeWebView" -Recurse -Force

Relaunch Outlook to rebuild its WebView2 container.

Let me know if you want this wrapped into a SYSTEM-safe .ps1 with logging, rollback, and elevation detection. I can also help you enforce this via GPO or Intune if you're managing multiple endpoints.

If the suggestions from Carlo don't help. You can try creating a new shortcut directly to the New Outlook for Windows EXE. It should be located at:
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\WindowsApps\olk.exe